Lamine Yamal has been named the Men’s Young Talent of the Year for the third year running at the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards in London.
Yamal, 19, is a contender to win the Men’s Ballon d’Or Player of the Year winner, with this success suggesting he is set to miss out on the full award to one of the other two favourites: Harry Kane or Kylian Mbappe.
The teenager was instrumental in Spain’s World Cup win in the summer, which was his second major international honour after also winning Euro 2024, while he won LaLiga with Barca.
After accepting the award, Yamal nervously laughed off asked by co-host Thierry Henry whether this wasn’t the award he wanted to win, before adding: “It is an honour to be here and receive this prize.
“I would have liked to see my team-mate Cubarsi here because I think this prize should have been for him. He has been playing at an excellent level for some time.
“This is my third year up here for this prize. I would like to thank my club and my national team.
“Speaking about this one specifically, this one should have been for Curbasi.”
Ballon d’Or 2026 Young Men’s Player of the Year nominees
- Kerim Alajbegovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina, RB Salzburg/Juventus)
- Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco, Lille/Manchester City)
- Pau Cubarsi (Spain, FC Barcelona)
- Yan Diomande (Côte d’Ivoire, RB Leipzig/Real Madrid)
- Lennart Karl (Germany, Bayern Munich)
- Eli Junior Kroupi (France, Bournemouth)
- Lamine Yamal (Spain, FC Barcelona)
- Johan Manzambi (Switzerland, SC Freiburg/Aston Villa)
- Ibrahim Maza (Algeria, Bayer Leverkusen)
- Warren Zaire-Emery (France, Paris-SG)
Where to watch Ballon d’Or 2026: TV channel, live online stream
In most territories, you can watch the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony free on DAZN.
Viewers without an existing DAZN account should create a free membership using their email address.
For other territories, visit UEFA’s Ballon d’Or broadcast list.
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